Being at the right place, and in the right frame of mind, paid off for two young art students.

A yellow-hued photograph, “Offerings at Notre Dame,” by Fort Gibson High School junior Meagan Young, took first place at the fourth annual District 2 Congressional Artistic Discovery Competition on Friday. Her photograph will hang at the U.S. Capitol along with winning art from other congressional districts. Young was named an Artist of Merit. She will get an expense-paid trip to Washington D.C.

Sumin Kim, a Korean exchange student at Muskogee High School, also was named an Artist of Merit. Her acrylic painting, “Bottled Impressionism,” placed second in the Oklahoma District 2 competition.

Theresa Murphy’s art program at Muskogee High School was named School of Merit at a reception Friday at the Northeastern State University Muskogee campus.

U.S. Congressman Dan Boren, D-Oklahoma, honored the winners.

“I’m impressed with the participation by local schools, and with the talent of all our young artists,” Boren said. “These students have a very unique set of skills, and serve as examples of accomplishment for their fellow students.”

Boren added “studies have shown that students involved in the arts have better opportunities to go further in college,”

Young said she shot her photograph when she was at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris during a summer tour with the People to People program. She said the cathedral had candles people could light and make an offering or a prayer.

“So I took the picture,” she said.

Though she managed to be at the right place when she took that picture, she wasn’t there when Boren announced her winning. She was singing with the Fort Gibson High School Choir at the state choir competition in Shawnee.

Kim said her painting was inspired by a few things she put together in her window.

“I put bottles by the window and just worked with the light and color,” she said.

This is the fourth year Boren has hosted the Artistic Discovery competition. The contest received 197 entries from 74 students. The top entries in each category were selected by a panel of judges from the Muskogee Area Arts Council.

Meagan’s mother, Tina Young, said her daughter has been snapping pictures since she was 8 or 9 years old.

“A couple of years ago, we gave her a nice camera for her birthday,” she said.